KMG buys chemicals unitNews & Analysis 2/26/2010 Post a comment KMG Chemicals Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of the electronic chemicals business of General Chemical Performance Products LLC for $25.5 million in cash.

Direct-write litho still facing uphill climbNews & Analysis 2/26/2010 2 commentsMultiple development efforts focused on e-beam direct-write lithography have reported progress this week at the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference. But, at least according to one prominent lithography researcher, production tools are still a minimum of five years away.

50V rated C0G multilayer ceramic capacitorsNews & Analysis 2/26/2010 Post a commentTDK-EPC Corporation launched a new series of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) with C0G temperature characteristics and a rated voltage of 50V, 60 percent smaller than existing products with the same capacitance according to the manufacturer

U.S. offers $50M for research buildingsNews & Analysis 2/25/2010 Post a commentThe U.S. Commerce Dept.'s National Institute of Standards and Technology announced a competition for grants for the construction of new or expanded scientific research buildings at universities and nonprofit organizations.

Researchers say eye strain a concern as 3-D TVs debutNews & Analysis 2/25/2010 Post a commentExperts in human perception are expressing concerns stereo 3-D TVs now hitting the market could cause eye strain and related health problems, a sensitive topic industry groups are actively discussing, but in their rush to get systems out the door vendors have yet to fund any major studies of the issues.

Senator: Committee struck deal on patent reformNews & Analysis 2/25/2010 Post a commentA U.S. Senator leading the charge for patent reform suggested a Senate committee has struck a rough compromise keeping a draft bill alive by balancing calls for lowering damages in patent infringement suits with calls for improving the quality of patents.

PRODUCT HOW TO: Improving switch maintenance in PXI with BIRSTNews & Analysis 2/25/2010 Post a commentSwitching systems are a key part of any test system, they allow users to connect the test equipment to the unit under test in different ways. Users consider the switching system to be perhaps one of the most likely parts of the system to fail, this article explores the reasons for concern and a way that one manufacturer has found to diagnose these problems.

NXP, IBM praise Dutch road-pricing trialNews & Analysis 2/25/2010 Post a commentA road pricing trial conducted in the Netherlands by NXP and IBM working on behalf of the Dutch government has been proclaimed a success in that it reduced traffic congestion and decreased kilometers driven and carbon dioxide emissions.

Opinion: Microchip must raise SST offer againNews & Analysis 2/24/2010 1 commentMicrochip Technology Inc. will have to significantly raise its offer for Silicon Storage Technology Inc., perhaps up to $4.00 per share from the current price of $3.00 if it wants to gain control of the company and end a brewing bidding war with a private equity firm.

Mil/aero group foresees shift to optical in 2012News & Analysis 2/24/2010 1 commentThe VITA Standards Organization, a leading standards group for military and aerospace markets, will announce as early as next week a call for participation in a group to explore the feasibility of deploying in 2012 products with optical backplanes and system interconnects.

Directed self-assembly grabs the spotlight at SPIENews & Analysis 2/24/2010 Post a commentIf there is a darling of this year's SPIE Advanced Lithography conference, it just might be directed self-assembly, a technology that emerged in recent years to land on the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors and is considered a potential candidate to extend optical lithography.

GlobalFoundries, Samsung join e-beam groupNews & Analysis 2/23/2010 Post a commentThe eBeam Initiative--a forum dedicated to the education and promotion of a new design-to-manufacturing approach known as design for e-beam (DFEB)--has announced that six additional companies have joined the group.

Verigy posts loss amid sales gainNews & Analysis 2/23/2010 Post a commentATE supplier Verigy Ltd. said revenue for the first quarter was $106 million, an increase of 9 percent from the prior quarter, and an increase of 56 percent from the prior year period.

IBM says litho chemical better for environmentNews & Analysis 2/23/2010 Post a commentIBM said researchers from its Semiconductor Research and Development Center have developed a fluorine-free photo-acid generator for use in 193-nm lithography, billed as a more environmentally friendly alternative than the fluorine-based perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid currently in use.

Intel-led alliance pledges $3.5B in venture fundsNews & Analysis 2/23/2010 Post a commentThe Invest in America Alliance, a group of 25 venture capital and 17 high tech companies led by Intel Corp., pledged to invest $3.5 billion in U.S. technology startups over the next two years and hire as many as 10,500 college students in 2010.

DAC 2010 to award Richard Newton graduate scholarshipsNews & Analysis 2/23/2010 Post a commentThe 47th Design Automation Conference, to be held from June 13 to 18, 2010, in Anaheim, Calif., intends to award scholarships to promote graduate research and study in EDA and circuit design. These $24.000 scholarships are in honor of the memory of Dr. A. Richard Newton.